| Besides foundry facilities, CAD tools are also required to move microsystems from research prototypes to an industrial market. This paper describes a CAD framework for microsystems based on selected existing software packages adapted and extended for microsystem technology, assembled with libraries where models are available as standard cells at different levels (symbolic, system/behavioural, layout). In microelectronics, CAD has already attained a highly sophisticated and professional level. In comparison, microsystem design and modelling is still in its infancy. However, at least for numerical simulation of operation of single microsystem components such as mechanical resonators, thermo-elements and elastic diaphragms, reliable simulation tools are available. Many CAD tools for design, simulation and verification of specific devices are available for different engineering disciplines, but there is no CAD environment within which we could perform microsystem simulation. There are two approaches to overcome this limitation: the first possibility would be to develop a new framework tailored for microsystem engineering. The second, more realistic approach would be to use existing CAD tools which contain the most promising features, and to extend these tools for use in simulation and verification of microsystems and the devices involved. These tools are assembled with libraries in a microsystem design environment allowing a continuous design flow. The approach is driven by the wish to make microsystems accessible to a large community of people, including SMEs and nonspecialised academic institutions. |
